In an exclusive interview with The Tennessee Star, U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) said Senate Democrats are deliberately engineering the ongoing government shutdown as a political move to undermine President Donald Trump.
Calling it the “Schumer shutdown,” Blackburn said Democrats are blocking the bipartisan continuing resolution to push for $1.5 trillion in new spending and to extend policies like enhanced Obamacare subsidies—measures she says are unrelated to keeping the government open.
“This is a clean CR. It is a continuation of spending. There is nothing to negotiate on this. It is a continuation. It has bipartisan support. The Democrats are asking for $1.5 trillion in new spending. They want to reverse much of what we did in the Big Beautiful Bill. They want to continue the COVID enhanced premium tax credit for the Obamacare subsidies. They are wanting to make certain that those who are in the country illegally can get access to healthcare,” Blackburn explained.
“This is a shutdown that is designed by and brought to the American people by Chuck Schumer. It is the Schumer shutdown,” she added.
Blackburn said the standoff is not about funding levels, emphasizing how Democrats have already supported those levels multiple times in the past.
“The Democrats have voted for the spending levels that are before them five times. They have voted for those levels five times, so they are doing this to try to spite President Trump, and it is backfiring on them. The American people are not supporting them in the shutdown,” she said.
The Tennessee senator argued Republicans want the government reopened and that further policy debates—such as on healthcare or immigration—should take place during the appropriations process, not in a shutdown scenario.
“Republicans are saying enough with the shenanigans. Let’s get the government back open and then if they want to have a discussion about premium tax credits or anything else, the way you do that is in the appropriations process. But, instead of working on appropriations, what they are doing is shutting the government down,” she said.
Blackburn noted that Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Director Russ Vought is expected to propose cuts and job reductions as part of the ongoing shutdown, with proposals possibly emerging as early as Monday night or Tuesday morning.
When asked about the impact the shutdown has on Tennessee National Guard troops who are assisting with the Memphis Safe Task Force, Blackburn acknowledged the concern but said operations are continuing and “going well,” per a conversation she had Monday with U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi.
Blackburn also addressed disruptions caused by the shutdown in areas across Tennessee, such as at Fort Campbell, where some high school sports events were rescheduled.
“I’ve worked extensively with Secretary of War, Pete Hegseth, my team has worked with Fort Campbell’s leadership. I have worked with Russ Vought, and the sports teams at Fort Campbell are going to be able to play. We’re excited for these teams that are ranked and these players on those teams that have the opportunity to compete for college scholarships, and we are looking forward to the Fort Campbell teams being able to bring home these championships,” she said.
Moving forward, to avoid future standoffs like this, Blackburn said she supports legislative proposals introduced by U.S. Senators Ron Johnson (R-WI) and James Lankford (R-OK) that would trigger automatic continuing resolutions in the event of a lapse in appropriations—effectively preventing shutdowns altogether.
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Kaitlin Housler is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network. Follow Kaitlin on X / Twitter.
Photo “Sen. Marsha Blackburn” by Sen. Marsha Blackburn.
